Ski towrope grip



July 28, 1964 w, 5, CRAFT 3,142,263

SKI TOWROPE GRIP Filed June 18, 1962 INVENTOR.

7%47621' fem-r United States Patent 3,142,263 SKI TOWROPE GRIP Walter S. Craft, Fleischmanns, N.Y. Filed June 18, 1962, Ser. No. 203,150 4 Claims. (Cl. 104-202) The present invention relates to a ski towrope grip of a type adapted for use in the gripping of the towrope that returns a skier up the ski slope.

Heretofore a skier desiring to be pulled up the ski slope by a tow rope had to loosely grasp the towrope with a gloved hand to be started uphill at a rate of speed less than that of the towrope, gradually tightening his grip until he was moving at the full speed of the towrope. Heretofore it has also been customary for the skier, for purposes of physical comfort and convenience, to engage the tow rope with a mechanical grip after he had attained full speed. This gradual tightening of the grip on the towrope was essential because it is dangerous for a skier to grip the towrope, either mechanically or manually, with a full grip from a standing position, as a sudden start from a standing position to full towrope speed requires great skill and dexterity on the part of a skier standing on skis and is often likely to throw the skier off balance and injure or even break a limb.

Further, the manual gripping of the towrope with a gloved hand, even with gradually applied pressure, is difficult if not impossible when the towrope is wet, which is quite frequently the case. In such instances the use of a gripping device that applies a sudden grip on the towrope remains a risky and dangerous procedure.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a towrope gripping device which may be conveniently used for initial engagement of the towrope and eliminate the need for engagement of the towrope by the hand.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a towrope gripping device, of the character described, which is capable of being utilized to apply an initially sliding and gradually tightening grip on the towrope, to thereby enable the user to mechanically gradually attach himself to the towrope and gradually attain full speed from a standing start, giving him an opportunity to maintain substantial balance and eliminate the risk and danger involved in the starting movement up the ski slope.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a ski slope towrope gripping device, of the character described, which is comfortable and convenient to use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a ski towrope gripping device, of the character described, which is easy to manipulate and control.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a ski towrope gripping device, of the character described, which is light weight yet strong and sturdy, and which is relatively economical to produce.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the ski towrope gripping device of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible and without intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of a towrope gripping device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional and partly elevational view through one of the towrope gripping rollers of the device.

Referring now in greater detail to the accompanying drawings, the device of the present invention is shown to comprise a pair of arms, each generally designated as 10, preferably of identical shape and each preferably formed of heavy gauge sheet steel. Each of the arms 10 may comprise a preferably wide, flat channel-shaped stem portion, 12, and a handle portion, 14, integral with the stem portion 12, and preferably offset at an angle relative thereto, and preferably formed by the flattening of the sides of the channel forming the stem portion.

The two arms 10 may be pivotally interconnected by the free ends of their stem portions, 12, preferably with their channels facing and preferably in a slightly spaced relation. Such pivotally spaced interconnection may be effected by a plate, 16, inserted in the channel of one of the stems 12 at its end, and fixedly secured therein, as by bolts or rivets 18, whose other end is inserted into the channel at the end of the stem of the other arm 10 and is pivotally secured therein with its end in spaced relation to the spine of the channel member, as by the single rivet pivot or bolt, 20.

A post 22, is set into the stem 12 of each of the arms 10, in inwardly spaced relation to its free end; each said post 22 having a flattened head, 24, at its free end. While the post 22 may be secured in place in any desired manner, I have illustrated the same as having a reduced portion, 26, at its other end, which forms a shoulder, 28, the reduced portion 26 being threaded, as at 30, and passing through registering openings 32 formed in the sides of the stem portion 12, with the shoulder 28 resting against stem 12 and the threaded end 30 projecting through the registering opening 32, to the other side of the channel where it is engaged by a lock nut, 34.

Mounted rotatably over each of the posts 22 between its head 24 and the adjacent flat face of its supporting arm 10, is a roller, generally designated at 35. Each roller preferably comprises a metallic bearing 36, mount ed over the opening 32, and a relatively thick sleeve, 38, formed of a resilient material, such as rubber, or a substitute therefor secured on the bearing 36. The resilient sleeve 38 is preferably longitudinally concave and is preferably transversely slit at its center into two end-to-end portions, as at 44 One or both of the hand grips 14 of the device may be formed with an eye, 42, through which a cord, or the like, may be passed to secure the device to the user, as to a belt or garment worn by him.

In use, the skier positions himself alongside the towrope, 44, and engages the towrope between the two rollers 35 of the device. The user may then apply gradually increasing pressure on the handles of the device, to exert on the grip a gradually increasingpressure by the rollers on the towrope. Initially, the rollers 35 will rotate freely on the posts 22 and the user will remain stationary. As pressure is gradually increased, the bearings 36 will each be pressed against its post 22 to retard the rotation of the rollers. Also, the outer sleeve 38 of the rollers 35 will each be compressed and distorted in shape to further retard the rotation of the rollers over the rope and, at the same time, be compressed against the post heads 24 and the surface of the arm stems 12, on which it is set, to additionally retard the rotation of the rollers. When retardation of the rotation of the rollers reaches a stage where their surface speed is less than the speed of the towrope, the user will be moved along with the towrope at a relatively slow speed, permitting him to adjust himself gradually to movement up the slope; the users speed increasing as the retardation of the roller rotation is gradually increased by increased pressure on the device arms to a point where no rotation thereof takes place, at which point the user will move along at the speed of the towrope.

This completes the description of the ski towrope grip of the present invention, the manner in which it operates, and the manner of its use. It will be apparent that the towrope grip of the present invention is highly effective and efficient for its purpose. It will also be apparent that its operation, though easily controllable, is positive and certain, especially because of the several ways in which the roller rotation is inhibited to a point of stopping; namely, by the pressure and distortion of the roller sleeves 38 against the towrope 44; by the pressure of the roller sleeves 38 against the inner face of the post heads 24, and against the surfaces of the stern portions 12 of the arms 10, on which they rest; such pressure being enhanced by the splitting of the sleeves 38 at their center.

It will also be apparent that the provision of a slit 40 in each of the sleeves 38 will permit the two resilient sleeve sections to be separated by the pressure of the sleeves against the towrope, to facilitate the pressure of the ends of the sleeves against the heads 24 and the stem sections 12.

It will be further apparent that the device of the present invention is of relatively simple construction and economical to produce, and yet affords the user maximum safety.

It will be yet further apparent that numerous modifications and variations in the ski towrope grip of the present invention may be made by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. A towrope grip comprising a pair of arms each having a flattened surface portion adjacent one end thereof, said arms pivoted at said end for movement toward and away from one another, with said flattened end portion of each arm moving in a plane substantially parallel to that of the other, the other ends of said arms arranged to be grasped in one hand of a user, a post set in each of said arms in said flattened surface portion thereof, in substantially normal relation to said surface, each said post formed with a head on its free end, and a roller mounted on each said post, each said roller including a relatively thick outer sleeve portion formed of a resiliently compressible material, said sleeves being distortable upon movement of said arms toward one another when said sleeves are engaged over a towrope to be compressed against said head and said flattened surface, to thereby brake rotation of said rollers and grip said towrope to move therewith.

2. A towrope grip comprising a pair of arms each having a substantially flat stem section at one end and a handle section at its other end, means pivotally connecting said arms at their stem ends for movement away from and toward one another from divergent to substantially parallel relation, said handle sections arranged to be grasped by one hand of a user, and a post set in the stern section of each of said arms inwardly of said pivot in normal relation to the surface of said stem section, each said post formed with a head on its free end, and a roller mounted on each said post, each said roller including a relatively thick outer sleeve portion formed of a resiliently compressible material, said sleeve being distortable upon movement of said arms toward one another when said sleeves are engaged over a towrope to be compressed against said head and the surface of said stern section, to thereby brake rotation of said rollers and grip said towrope to move therewith.

3. The towrope grip of claim 2, wherein said outer roller sleeve is of concave outer shape.

4. The towrope grip of claim 2, wherein said outer roller sleeve tapers in thickness from its ends toward the center thereof and is divided into two sleeve sections at substantially the center of its length.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 582,426 Jacobs May 11, 1897 1,471,593 Davis Oct. 23, 1923 1,743,100 Blackburn Jan. 14, 1930 1,907,345 Cornish May 2, 1933 2,230,024 Bosquet Jan. 28, 1941 2,764,949 Guthrie Oct. 2, 1956 

1. A TOWROPE GRIP COMPRISING A PAIR OF ARMS EACH HAVING A FLATTENED SURFACE PORTION ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF, SAID ARMS PIVOTED AT SAID END FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER, WITH SAID FLATTENED END PORTION OF EACH ARM MOVING IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THAT OF THE OTHER, THE OTHER ENDS OF SAID ARMS ARRANGED TO BE GRASPED IN ONE HAND OF A USER, A POST SET IN EACH OF SAID ARMS IN SAID FLATTENED SURFACE PORTION THEREOF, IN SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL RELATION TO SAID SURFACE, EACH SAID POST FORMED WITH A HEAD ON ITS FREE END, AND A ROLLER MOUNTED ON EACH SAID POST, EACH SAID ROLLER INCLUDING A RELATIVELY THICK OUTER SLEEVE PORTION FORMED OF A RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL, SAID SLEEVES BEING DISTORTABLE UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID ARMS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER WHEN SAID SLEEVES ARE ENGAGED OVER A TOWROPE TO BE COMPRESSED AGAINST SAID HEAD AND SAID FLATTENED SURFACE, TO THEREBY BRAKE ROTATION OF SAID ROLLERS AND GRIP SAID TOWROPE TO MOVE THEREWITH. 